#9 - In Search of the Sun

Shades of... neutral

We started off our second fall in Moscow by moving into our new apartment (make sure to read the previous post - #8 - to get the background on this). Given all of the challenges with our last apartment, I am sure many wonder if we are experiencing anything comparable. But honestly, what problems could top the bathtub leaking down to the floor below or the moldy boiler room, or my favorite memory of Andrew setting off to work with not only his briefcase but also a bag of garbage to drop off two blocks away.

skating on Red Square

I do hate to disappoint my readers but the only major issue we have dealt with is that when it's too hot, the air conditioner isn't strong enough and when it's too cold, we can't adjust the level of heat because all units are missing their knobs. Even still, since the temperature of the heat released in the buildings is controlled by the city (basing it on how cold it is outside), there is little or no control anyway. For most people I know, this means that all winter they leave their windows open as their apartment becomes way too hot. 

I will say, however, that while I used to wait 4 hours (sometimes even days) in our old apartment for the previous handyman to work on an issue that would never get resolved, we now live in a building where there is immediate attention given to tenants. One night I sent a note to the building manager at 11:30pm with urgency that we smelt street fumes/pollution coming through an air duct. I stated (that’s the tactic here, you don’t ask, you demand or state) that someone needed to come the next day. 45 minutes later (yes, after midnight) two men arrived to see what the problem was. While they brought their tool box, I actually didn't see any indication that they might even consider initiating work to fix the problem.

We have floor to ceiling windows in our new digs, which, as of the month of November, highlights the lack of sun we experience. Everything is a shade of, well, neutral. I can only remember maybe 4 days out of the last two months when I have seen a hit of definition in the sky, and I’m not even talking about a spec of blue. Quite literally, it's just flat, grey and brown, and dirty.

grey, grey view from our apartment

Maybe other years have been different, but this is the Russian winter I know. The kind of winter where you have to wear tall boots or risk a splatter of mud up and down the leg; the kind of winter where the dog gets a full bath after every walk (and is still dirty); the kind where I just bought what we call a “happy light" since we are not getting enough vitamin D through sun exposure.

While the sky is grey, the ground is brown. For some reason the system of cleaning the streets and sidewalks doesn't actually result in a cleaner environment. I will say, it’s not for a lack of trying. Up until it snows, this convoy of water trucks, usually a group of three or four on the larger streets, (staggered across all but one lane, so that they effectively block traffic) travel through the city and spray water from one side to the other, rain or shine. This will often be repeated on major streets every other day. But there is really nowhere for this water to go, except to the side where it gathers into a large puddle (I haven’t seen many drains, or at least effective ones) or onto the buildings that line the streets. If you see these trucks coming, you must run for cover because otherwise you will also get sprayed with this dirty water. 

Summer and winter street "cleaning"

Anyway, by the time winter comes, these street cleaning machines are replaced by trucks that clear the snow and lay out a toxic salt, melting anything that comes near it. This means that as soon as the city is covered with beautiful, white snow, you awake to a melted, brown sludge that covers roads and walkways. And since this snow is melting to a liquid form, mixing with the dirt that was never really removed by the previous-season's street cleaning machines, it's just plain dirty!

What other seemingly mundane, daily life stories may be of interest??? Well, food sanctions were certainly a hot topic for a while. We used to find packaged spinach, broccoli and certain fruits everywhere. Now, I will say, they often were rotten within a couple of days (probably since they had been frozen until we bought them), but at least it appeared that there were choices. After the food sanctions were imposed, we had about 2 months where these choices were replace by loads of carrots, potatoes, cabbage, etc. But those imports were soon replaced by goods from Asia and South America - and they were clearly labeled with their country of origin! And, thank god for the Swiss: we could and still do enjoy some meats and loads of cheese from them since they are not part of the EU.

Budapest; outdoor Szechenyi Baths

Other than that, all else continues as normal. The girls had the usual start to their school year, reconnecting with friends, getting used to new teachers, playing on soccer teams, etc. Izzy made the traveling team for the school, which meant she went to Prague for the final tournament (there she got to see her Burke's friend Audrey, which was great fun!). Andrew works crazy long hours. I have a few small design projects and am trying to get involved in the emerging art world a bit more. And Andrew and I joined broomball teams.

We just got back from 3 weeks off. After we joined my mother in Budepest for a few days and Christmas in Moscow, we headed off for two weeks to Oman and then the Maldives. In addition to that, this fall we not only had a short trip to Dubai but went to Georgia for 5 days. Stay tuned for a post in a few days about those travels.

Thinking of you all often. Do come visit! More soon...